A Handful of Carrot Seeds
by Crystal56
Summary: Atemu comes to Mineral Town to see why his old friend stopped writing letters. Inadvertently, he's drawn in by a request from the Harvest Goddess to save a town that hopefully isn't beyond saving while living the life he wants as well. Chapter 2 up!
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon_

**A Handful of Carrot Seeds**

**Chapter 1**

Atemu arrived at the farm just outside of Mineral Town. He hadn't returned here in such a long time, since he was little at least. He was on a mission; his elderly friend, the man who ran the farm when he had visited had stopped writing him letters as they had been doing for many years and he wanted to make sure he was all right. All he had brought with him was the clothes on his back, 500G and a handful of carrot seeds.

"Hey you, what are you doing here?" a voice shouted and Atemu turned around to see a stout man in red approaching him. "You're not supposed to be here!"

"I'm looking for someone who used to live here," Atemu explained gently, adjusting his cap slightly as he looked at the worn out fields, covered in weeds and stones and logs.

"The man who lived here died six months ago," the man said. "In his belongings when I found his will it said 'I leave this farm to Atemu' so I'm taking care of the farm until this Atemu person comes."

"Are you the mayor by any chance?" Atemu asked.

"Yes, I am. Would you be so kind as to give me your name?" the mayor asked.

"I'm Atemu," he replied with a smile. "I'm the one the old man was talking about."  
"Are you? Could you please explain how you met the man who lived here?" the mayor asked and Atemu nodded.

"It's a bit of a story but I'll tell if you'll listen," Atemu said and this time the mayor nodded.

**_FLASH_**

****

_ "MAMA! PAPA!" Atemu cried out as he looked around. He couldn't find his parents anywhere and he was scared._

_ "Who's out there? Oh, are you lost son? Let me see; is that a phone number on your coat zipper? Well then, let's call your parents." Atemu looked up to see an elderly gentlemen smiling at him. He took the man's hand and he called Atemu's parents. When they arrived they were overjoyed._

_ "Oh Atemu, we were so worried about you!" His father exclaimed._

_ "He was worried he had lost you as well," the old man chuckled. "I'm glad I could help. What brings you out here?"_

_ "We wanted to show our son the country this summer so we brought him out here," the mother explained._

_ "Well, that's a fine thing indeed. If you don't mind, you're welcome to stay here with me. I live alone and I wouldn't mind the company," the old man offered._

_ "Oh my, that's so nice of you," the mother said. "Hear that Atemu? Now you have a whole farm to play on!" _

**_…_**

**__**

_ And play Atemu did. He milked cows, the old man helped him ride the horse he owned and chased chickens with sticks and even playing with the dog. He lay in the fields one day, staring up at the blue sky._

_ "HEY!" A loud voice startled him and he sat up to see a girl standing over him. _

_ "What?" he asked._

_ "You were laying there so silently I though you were dead!" she exclaimed. "Come on, let's play!" He got up and followed after her, eager to have a friend to play with._

**_…_**

**__**

_ The end of summer came to fast._

_ "Say Atemu, would you mind exchanging addresses? I wonder if you'd mind writing an old man a letter once in a while," the old man said as Atemu prepared to leave. Atemu nodded and they exchanged their addresses._

_ "You're leaving already?" Atemu turned around to face his playmate. "That's too bad. Now I won't have anyone to play with!"_

_ "Another reason to one day come back here, eh Atemu?" the old man asked with a smile. "So long then, be sure to write!"_

**_FLASH_**

****

"So you two wrote back and forth all this time," the mayor said. "And then let me guess, he stopped writing six months ago and you began to get worried, right?"

"Yeah, we always kept up writing, almost once a week we each got a letter from the other," Atemu explained. "So anyways, did he really leave the farm to me?"

"Yes he did, do you want to take care of it? If not, I'm afraid I'll have to sell it," he said. "It's not helping the town right now…"

"I'll work here," Atemu said, "In fact, I'll get to work right now!"

"No, you better get some rest first. You just got here, didn't you?" the mayor asked and Atemu sheepishly nodded.

"Then you can start tomorrow. The old man left his tools in the box inside his house so you can use them to get you started," the mayor said and then began to walk away. "I'll come see you tomorrow and finish explaining everything." He left the farm and Atemu surveyed the scene. The fields needed to be cleaned up and seeds needed to be sown. He couldn't grow his carrots just yet so it looked like he needed to go into town tomorrow and buy some seeds. The puppy ran up to him and he scratched it behind the ears.

"Can I call you Seto?" Atemu asked and the puppy barked happily. He picked it up and it licked his face. He turned once again to face the fields. "I have my work cut out for me."

**_…_**

**__**

The mayor arrived the next morning as promised, explaining a few things and after he left a man named Zack came to tell him he would be picking up anything Atemu shipped. Once he left as well, Atemu got to work. The first thing he did was take the honey from the bees and put that to be shipped. He had to start getting money and fast, this wouldn't be a cheap restoration of this farm. He took his sickle and cut away a few of the weeds, chopped up the wood for use later with his ax and broke a few of the smaller stones with his hammer. He cleared away a small patch of land and began hoeing it. Now he needed to get some seeds.

"Good morning!" A cheery voice greeted him and he turned around to see a man wearing fancy clothes.

"Hello," Atemu said politely.

"So you're the new guy, eh?" he asked. "My name is Duke, I run the local winery. So you're going to take care of this farm then?"

"That's what I'm going to try to do. I really have my work cut out for me," Atemu said. "But I've always worked hard so it's really no problem."

"Listen, I have an invitation for you. Come and drink with me tonight at the inn, my treat!" He beamed a smile and Atemu took a step back. Drinking? He had never been much on the drinking aspect, even if he was in his twenties.

"Um…sure, that sounds good!" he said, not wanting to insult Duke. He would have to make friends in this village if he ever wanted to really be profitable and perhaps find someone to marry.

"Good, good, I'll expect you around nine!" Duke said and walked off the farm. Atemu looked at Seto, who was lying by his feet.

"I don't know if that was the right thing to do. I don't do well with alcohol," he said and Seto whined.

**_…_**

**__**

Atemu noticed still it was only around 7:30 when he had cleared enough space to plant a few things, nothing would be open for at least another hour and a half, at least that's what the mayor told him, that most places opened at 9 and that some had specific days in which they'd be closed and the like. He decided to explore the mountain nearby. He went down the path and saw three crossroads. Taking the one to his left, he went up and arrived at what looked like a hot spring.

"What an interesting place," he noted as he felt the steam rising from the spring. He went up to the pond nearby and a flash of light blinded his eyes and before him he saw what looked like a green haired woman. "Who are you?"

"Me? Why, I'm the harvest goddess," she replied. "You must be the one taking over the farm now, am I correct?"

"Well, yeah, I am, but how do you know?" he asked.

"I'm a goddess, I know what's going on in the town I live with," she said dryly. "Anyways, I suppose then you shall be the one to save the town?"

"Save the town?" Atemu asked in surprise.

"The old man who used to live at the farm was wonderful. This town has always been suffering a little, but he always helped. He would give extra crops to the townspeople to make sure everyone had enough to eat and donate money and help when it was needed. His efforts to help increased after he spent a summer with a young boy, you I assume," she said and Atemu nodded, causing her to smile. "But age does factor in and he began to grow weaker and passed away in his sleep. Once he was gone the town began to suffer because Duke took the opportunity to flaunt his money around and claim he was helping others. Bribes, False donations, the like. The Mayor is in his pocket right now, he has countless debts to stores he doesn't plan on paying, and the people here don't have enough to eat…" Her eyes welled up with tears. "I could go on but I believe you get the picture."

"If you're a goddess why can't you do something about it?" Atemu asked.

"Few can see me. The old man could, he would drop an offering to me every Sunday and ask for me to bless his farm and make his crops grow. No one can really see me, although they do believe I am here," she said.

"Then how come I can see you?" Atemu asked.

She glared at him. "Because I want you to see me that's why!" she exclaimed. "I have a request of you as well…"

"Let me guess, you want me to save the town?" he asked dryly.

"Yes, and it's not a simple task I know, especially when you have to restore the farm to its former glory as well. I believe you are a good person Atemu. I hardly know you as of yet, but I can see your heart is pure. Please, help these people. They're all good people who just need a little assistance to get back on their feet," she said.

"Can I really forge out a life here?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow. "Will it really be possible for me to save them and live here peacefully? That's all I really want. I'll take care of the farm, become a farmer like my old friend and live a life here in peace. I want to get married and have a family Miss Goddess."

She smiled warmly at him. "What most men don't care for? You are a treasure Atemu, a pure treasure! You can achieve it if you wish for that. Everyone has their dreams you know."

"I guess," he said. "I'll do my best I suppose. I can't very well be a good farmer here without the support of the townspeople."

"Thank you," she whispered and began to disappear, "Be sure to make friend with the Harvest Sprites, their help will be invaluable!" Atemu had no idea what Harvest Sprites were but he filed the information in the back of his mind anyways. As he did that another thought came to his mind.

"Um wait!" he exclaimed and she materialized before him once more. "How bad is the town now?"

She looked down at the water, touching her face gently as she watched her reflection in the waves. "You'll see when you go into town."

"Not good, huh?" he asked and she nodded. "I got my work cut out for me. I guess I'll see you later then Harvest Goddess?"

"I wish you the best of luck!" she said and disappeared.

"I know I'm going to need it…" Atemu muttered and went back to his farm for a moment, but not before gathering two flowers, all that he could carry right now. "This sounds like some really bad clichéd job, but oh well, a promise is a promise. I said I'll do my best and that's really all I can do. Now to see about getting some seeds, but what kind of seeds can I afford for just 500G? If I knew I had to save the town, I might've saved up just a little bit more!"

**_…_**

**__**

The town itself was in a horrible state. The only places that looked livable were the Winery where he figured Duke must live and the Mayor's house, which was near the top of the town. Boards were in a few windows and people walked by him, not saying much of anything. He sighed and headed up to the general store, he needed seeds and he needed them now. He wanted to meet the townspeople, sure, but first things first; he needed to get Quartz Farm working again.

He pushed open the door to the general store and walked inside. It was falling apart but fairly clean. He saw a girl with blond hair pacing in the back of the store and saw shelves lined with various goods, cooking ingredients, a bigger backpack he knew he'd need later on and the best thing of all, what he had been looking for, seeds! He ran forward and examined the table.

"Can I help you?" a voice asked and Atemu turned to see a man with black hair and pale skin. He looked a little sickly. "My name is Jeff, I own this store." He was also a little short and looked Japanese. Atemu's first thought was that this town had a lot of different cultures in it, almost like the big melting pot that was America…well, maybe not that much.

"Yeah, I'm looking for some seeds," Atemu said, glancing over the various bags. He was so new to this he couldn't make heads or tails of what any of it was, but he was resolved to learn all he could before long.

"So you're the one taking over Quartz Farm?" Jeff asked with interest. Atemu took note of a little nervous tone that had escaped Jeff's voice as he spoke.

"My name is Atemu, pleased to meet you," he said, offering his hand, which Jeff took and shook eagerly. His eyes had lit up with something that looked like hope. Maybe just talking to people today would be helpful; as Atemu pondered the possibility Jeff had selected a few seed bags from the pile.

"These are seed you can grow in spring, Turnips, Cucumbers and Potatoes," Jeff explained.

"Let's see, what can I afford…um…?" He looked over the tables again, wondering which was which.  
"You're not going to buy on credit?" Jeff asked, eyes widened at the thought of it. Atemu thought the simplest explanation should be the easiest one to give him.

"Why should I? I've never done it before and I don't wish to make a habit of it now," Atemu explained and relief washed over Jeff's face. Atemu remembered the goddess saying Duke had debts he was never going to pay; he probably owed money to this store, but how much?

"The s…seeds are as follows, Turnips are 120G, Potatoes are 150G…" he stammered and Atemu stopped him. He already knew what he wanted and he didn't need to hear the price of the cucumbers just yet. He needed something quick to grow first, and the Turnips sounded like they would do just the trick!

"Then I'll take two bags of turnip seeds and one of potatoes," Atemu said, bringing out his money. Jeff walked over to the checkout counter with the bags requested and rung Atemu up.

"390G," he said and Atemu handed him the money. "Thank you so very much." Atemu thought Jeff was going to cry.

"Don't mention it," Atemu said and headed out with his seeds in hand.

"Wait a minute!" Atemu paused in his step and the blond haired girl he had seen earlier turned him around to face her. "So you're the new guy?"

"Yeah, I'm taking over the farm," he said. "What's your name?"  
"My name is Karen," she said, tucking a small strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you so much for not buying on credit. You don't realize what it means to my family." Atemu looked at her puzzled. "Never mind, just thanks."

"Okay then," Atemu said and pulled out a flower. "Here, to brighten you day a little more."

She took the flower and sniffed it. "Um well, thanks I guess." She walked back inside, clutching the yellow flower and Atemu watched for a moment before realizing he had to head back to the farm and plant the seeds. He wondered what she meant by 'thanks for not buying on credit'. He figured though, it probably had something to do with Duke.

**_…_**

**__**

Arriving back at the farm, he quickly sowed and watered the seeds, smiling as he saw his three plots of seeds. He'd have to water them everyday and treat them with care, but the first harvest he would have here would be worth it. It'd bring in more money for him to use to get more seeds, and little by little, he'd build up the farm and the town as well.

"It's not much but it's a start," he told Seto, who merely looked up at him and barked. "I think I better go gather some stuff from the mountain, I think the Mayor said that was shippable too. If I get a little more money I can get more seeds tomorrow and have some more growing."

**_…_**

**__**

He only collected a few things by the time he realized he had to get to the inn for his meeting with Duke. The day had already started out interesting, but the thought of alcohol churned his stomach, and not in a nice way. He wondered if he could make anyone else's day better when he went to the inn. After all, he had picked one other flower that day, and he resolved to give it to another girl.

**_TBC_**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I forgot to say, I don't own it.

**A Handful of Carrot Seeds**

**Chapter 2**

Atemu had just been charged that very day with saving Mineral Town and now he had a meeting with the trouble leader himself, Duke. Sighing heavily he headed towards the inn. How was he going to hold his alcohol as well as making sure he didn't upset Duke on his first day either. Little by little he'd make the changes the Harvest Goddess wanted; he couldn't do it all at once. He realized he'd need money and a solid foundation before he could do anything big and too many changes too fast would do no one any good.

"Ah, it's the new farmer!" Atemu was greeted warmly by Duke, who approached him and shook his hand. He looked up and saw the run down inn before him. "Come on, let's go inside." Atemu could only nod as he was led inside. He paused in the doorway and took a look around. Two people were at what looked like the bar table, one a woman with long blond hair and one a man with a white band around his head, also with long blond hair. Actually, the woman looked like Karen who he had met earlier. At the various tables were a few people, one an elderly gentlemen with white hair, another man in his thirties or forties who looked like a botanist and there was a young girl walking around from table to table delivering drinks. She had striking blue eyes and an orange braid that swung slightly as she walked. She was also wearing overalls.

"Is this the inn?" Atemu asked in disbelief and a few of the meager customers glanced at him with puzzlement.

"Sure is, and ain't it a fine establishment?" Duke asked, gesturing around. "Everyone, this is the new farmer that just took over for the old man who passed away a few months ago. Tell them a little about yourself!"

"Um…my name is Atemu," Atemu began. "This is kinda my first day on the farm. I'm uh; I'm pleased to meet all of you. I hope we can…become good friends?" The last sentence came out as more of a question. People turned away from him, all except Karen and the other girl, who was now looking at him with interest.

"Ann, bring us two wines!" Duke exclaimed as he guided them to a table. "That's Ann; she's the innkeeper's daughter."

"She's pretty," Atemu muttered. "I like her hair."

"Yes, she is pretty…ah; you're around that age, aren't you? Ha, I remember being young and wanting to fall in love. I did, Manna is the woman for me all right," he said. Atemu almost didn't believe what he was hearing. From a first impression, Duke didn't seem like a bad guy.

"Well, I am but…"

"No need to be shy," Duke said and then watched as the wines were set down on the table. "Say Ann, what do you think of Atemu here?"

"I don't know him very well sir," she said, looking at the floor.

"Ann, look at me when I'm talking to you!" he exclaimed and her gaze lifted to meet his. "What do you think of him?"

"He's a nice guy," she said and appeared to force a smile. Duke waved her off and she went over to Karen, trembling a little. He was scaring the poor girl! First impressions weren't always right after all.

"So Atemu," Duke asked, lowering his voice a notch, uncapping his wine and motioning for Atemu to do so as well. "What exactly are you planning to do here?"

"All I want to do is to farm," he replied. "My old friend did it so well I can only hope I measure up."

"Ah, I see," Duke replied. "That's a good goal to be sure. I assume just the usual then, settling down and making a life."

"Yes," came the reply. "I was a little tired of city life too so that was why I decided I should give farming a try. It wasn't just the fact my old friend left the farm to me you know."

"I see, so then you don't plan on causing trouble?" Duke asked.

"I don't want trouble," Atemu replied, politely taking a sip of his wine.

Duke smiled warmly at him. "Good wine, eh? I make it myself you see." He leaned closer to Atemu. "It's good you don't want trouble. I run this town and if you cause any trouble you'll get it. I like this town just the way it is."

"Run down?" Atemu asked and then regretted the words the moment he spoke them.

"This town just has a little disuse to it, that's all," Duke said with a laugh. "People don't work hard enough here, that's why it's so bad." He looked at Atemu. "Drink up, don't worry, it's on me." Atemu looked at it, 'that means he probably won't be paying for it…' but nonetheless, he took another drink. He didn't like wine and the alcohol was quickly mucking up his thoughts.

"Of course," Atemu said, taking another swig. "If you don't mind, I do start my day early, so I should be off to bed right about now." He stood up.

"Of course, of course. I don't want to keep you from your chores," Duke said. Atemu took one final drink and set the bottle down on the table. He started to stumble on his way to the door. "What is it Atemu, can't hold your alcohol?"

"No, is fine," Atemu said. "I jus need to get some seep…" He was drunk and he had hardly had anything! Great, he was really going to need to work on building up alcohol tolerance now.

"I'll help him home." Atemu identified the voice as Karen and he felt arms wrap around him and they began to walk. "See you later Rick, have a good night Ann, Duke…"

"Good night to both of you!" Duke called cheerfully and took another long drink of wine. "Ann, bring me another!"

**_…_**

**__**

Karen led Atemu all the way back to the farm and helped him inside. Laying him on his bed she raised an eyebrow at him. "You really can't hold your alcohol, can you?"

"Never had much of a drink in my life…" he mumbled into his pillow. Raising his head, he looked at her. "Thanks."

"I was just helping you out because you bought something from the store and not on credit, that's all." She looked away. "Listen, if you need help building up alcohol tolerance, I can help you. I'm the only one in town able to out drink Duke. That's the only reason some places in this town are still up." She turned back towards him and smiled sadly. "This place used to be so busy and clean. This place used to be amazing. Now even the medical clinic is starting to fall apart. The buildings need repair and nothing looks like it's going to get better. Duke just says we need to work harder because he keeps up the appearance he's working so hard himself." She snorted in disbelief. "He likes control, so he keeps us poor, keeps the mayor in his pocket and frightens us when he can." She sat down on the bed. "The mayor is a good person; he's just a bit of a coward. Duke apparently threatened to take the whole town down in flames or ruin our small village if he didn't have his way. I can't believe he likes this rundown dump…but I suppose people take power where they can get it."

"I suppose," Atemu said sitting up. "Why aren't you d…doing anything?"

"Why? We got a lot of problems, not just with Duke. Well, most of them are connected to the idiot but some aren't. My father's sick most of the time, meaning he's in the clinic a lot. Duke always buys on credit and then never pays, which means we're out a lot of money and our products aren't as good as they could be. You buying stuff from us today means we'll be able to feed ourselves for a few days…" she paused in her thoughts and then stood up and faced him again. "You know what I believed when I was little? I believed there was a Harvest Goddess and she was in the pond near the hot spring and mine. I believed in her when that old man was around too." She heard a snoring sound and realized Atemu had fallen asleep. "If the Goddess asked you to save us, I hope you're up to it. We'll be on your side…but we need a little help first. Sometimes the little things add up, you know?" She whispered these words as she threw the comforter over him and headed towards the door. "I'm on your side." She shut it behind her, blocking out the spring night chill.

**_…_**

**__**

The next morning Atemu woke up with a bit of a hangover and a sense of purpose. He shook it off, ate a light breakfast and tended to his fields before going into the mountain to collect a few things to sell and depositing them. He cleared away a little more land and headed into town with another pair of flowers, determined to get to know everyone in town. His first stop, the closest shop to his farm was the blacksmith's shop. He said hello to whoever was inside and realized that the two men inside weren't paying any attention to him.

"I did a fine job and you know it grandfather!" the younger of the two exclaimed.

"I'm not saying that at all and you should know better than to think this is a fine job," the older said, holding up something Atemu couldn't see. "Gray, you have issues when it comes to working on these things!"  
"I did a good job!" the one named Gray exclaimed again and then stormed over to Atemu. "Move it!" Atemu stepped to the side and Gray exited the building.

"I'm terribly sorry for his behavior," the elder said. "He has yet to realize he has a lot to learn when it comes to being a blacksmith. But now isn't the time to discuss such things. Welcome to the blacksmith. I'm Saibara, the smith of this…um…establishment. I'll upgrade your tools, make them more useable and the like and forge what you need, such as jewelry if you plan on courting girls. That said, my tools aren't the best but I'm an expert at what I do." He looked at Atemu. "Ah, you're the new farmer, the one that was with Duke last night, weren't you?"

"I was," Atemu said. "Listen; if you have all the tools then do you sell brushes and shears?"  
"Of course young man," he replied. "When you get sheep or cows for that run down place come see me, I also have the milker you'll need too." He smiled at Atemu in a grandfatherly way.

"Where did Gray go?" Atemu asked with interest. "There doesn't seem like there are lots of places for him to go…"

"He's probably at the library with Mary," Saibara replied. "He usually goes up there. I don't mind that he likes books but he can't ignore his blacksmith work for them…" Saibara looked at the door. "Although I must admit, Mary is the kindest one here and she has opened up Gray's heart a bit since he came from the city to learn the trade."

"Sounds like it," Atemu said. "I think I'll go there next then. A library sounds like fun."

"It's badly out of shape and in need of repair. So many books are there, so many things need to be done to protect them. Do as you will though, I can't stop you," he said, and Atemu exited the building with a heavy heart.

"Well," he said aloud to no one in particular. "At least I know where to go when I need to get tools fixed up or things for my animals. So, the library it is." He walked up the pathway towards the inn and winery and walked past them to arrive at the library. It did need a lot of work. For one thing, the roof needed fixing so that the books didn't get wet in the rain! He opened up the door, (which was falling apart) and stepped inside.

"Welcome to Mineral Town Library," a voice said and Atemu looked towards a desk to see a young girl with glasses and long lovely black hair sitting behind it. "I haven't seen you around here before, you are…"

"My name is Atemu, I'm the new farmer," he said, stepping inside and gingerly closing the door behind him. He looked around at the shelves and shelves of books, the topmost shelves covered with tarps. It looked like a system had been all set up in case of rain. He noticed a second set of stairs as well and figured there were more books above.

"Ah, pleased to meet you." The librarian stood up and walked over to Atemu. "My name is Mary and I look after this library."

"Oh, so you're Mary! I'm pleased to meet you as well. You're really sweet," Atemu said with a smile. He handed her a flower. "It's hard to imagine there'd be a library here." Mary took the flower and put it in her hair. "This place needs a lot of work."  
"Everything needs work. These are my father's books Atemu, good condition as any." She said. "The only problem comes when twisters arrive over the summer. Sometimes we loose a book and it never gets replaced."

"Not enough money?" Atemu asked and she nodded sadly. "I see."

"But this library is still good; I won't let it be ruined. As long as I'm here I'll tend to it," Mary said and then turned red. "I write novels you know."

"You do?" Atemu asked with interest.

"Yes, I do. I gave one to Gray the other day and he said so far he really likes it. He tells me he reads it before he goes to bed," she said with a pleased smile.

"Speaking of Gray, was he here at all?" Atemu asked.

Her face turned away and she looked worried for a moment as she spoke. "They got into another fight again didn't they? Gray and Saibara, right? He didn't tell me but you must have walked in on it, right?" Atemu nodded. "It's been a problem since before I really knew Gray. He's a nice guy but he doesn't think Saibara appreciates him enough. I think the real problem is they keep forgetting they're family and need to be there for each other. After all, in this town that's all we really have anymore are our families." She clasped her hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to insult you."

"You didn't insult me," Atemu said. "I have to get back to work, but do you have any recommendations on what I should read?"

"There are a few farming books on the second floor I would recommend but due to the tornados taking a few of those books we don't let anyone check them out," she said. "I'm terribly sorry…"

"Nah, that's okay. I can come by and read them in my free time then," Atemu said. "I'll be back then."

"We're closed on Mondays," she said and Atemu nodded. "Well then, goodbye…"

"You'll see me again." With that, he headed out the door and into the spring sun. Well, what place should he check out next?

**_…_**

**__**

He settled on heading to the clinic. After all, he would like to get to know the doctor who would tend to him if he caught a cold or the flu. The clinic looked a little better kept than some of the buildings. Of course, that was probably due to the fact Duke had come to realize a good hospital was never a bad thing, especially if he needed medical care.

"Welcome to Mineral Clinic!" a new voice greeted him as he entered and he approached a counter to see a young girl with pretty short brown hair in a blue dress with a white apron. "I don't believe I've met you before…"

"My name is Atemu, I'm the farmer taking over Quartz Farm," he said and the young woman smiled at him.

"My name is Elli; I'm the nurse at the clinic. The doctor is over there," she said, pointing to a nearby curtain. "Well, he's behind that curtain I mean."

"Thanks," Atemu said and pulled out his second flower. "Here, this is for you." Elli took the flower and sniffed it longingly. "Do you not like it?"

"Flowers…they only grew on the mountain…only the woodcutter Gotz and the old man who used to work the farm before you brought them into the village. I love them," she said. "You can go see the doctor; he isn't seeing anyone at the moment."

"That's okay. I have a lot to do today anyways. I'm trying to get a feel for the town and the facilities that are available to a farmer like me. This one's pretty decent." Atemu waved her goodbye and went out the door.

"It has to be, Duke won't let it get that bad…his own life is at stake if he does that," Elli replied with a sad note in her voice. "I hope to see you around."

Atemu tipped his hat like an old fashioned cowboy and walked out the door. It was time for him to get some stuff to sell so he could get a bit more G in his wallet, so to speak.

**_…_**

**__**

The next day he cleared away more land and purchased more seeds, which made Jeff extremely happy. He had looked a little better fed than a few days ago and Atemu felt happy he was helping them out. He resolved to earn enough G to get a new roof for the library and for a few new books (some to replace the lost ones). Mary was a sweet librarian; she deserved a library worth looking after. Karen was nowhere in sight, but he assumed she probably was in the back of the store, where their home actually was. He still wanted to thank her for taking him home the other day. He couldn't remember much of what happened but he though Karen had said something about the Harvest Goddess and helping him learn to hold his alcohol. The Harvest Goddess thing he'd have to ask about…the alcohol part he didn't know there was a trick to it.

He left the store with more seeds in hand when Karen suddenly was looking at him.

"Hey Atemu," she said. "Listen um…the other night…"

"It's okay, I don't mind anything you said, I mean, I might I don't know. I don't remember much of what you said," he said. "And I had a nasty headache when I woke up the next morning…"

"Do you remember any of it at all?"

"Well, I remember you saying something about the Harvest Goddess and something about teaching me to hold my alcohol and that's about all I can recall," Atemu said.

"I thought you were asleep when I said that…about the Harvest Goddess," she muttered, turning bright red.

"What about the Goddess?" Atemu asked.

"Would you like to come with me for a moment?" she asked. Atemu nodded. He could always plant later in the day when it wasn't as hot out. He followed her as she led him down to the mountain, unsure of what she was going to show him.

**_…_**

**__**

They arrived just outside the mine near the hot springs where Atemu had met the Goddess just a few days ago.

"This is where the Goddess is, the Harvest Goddess I mean," Karen said, waving her arms over the pool. "When I was little, I always believed that a Goddess lived here."

"That's not a silly belief you know. I visited with Carter, the priest here and he said the Goddess was the one watching over this town," Atemu said with a frown.

"No, I mean, sure, I still believe it the Goddess but I don't think she's here. Why would she let us suffer if she were here? I mean, I never once in my life saw her and I don't expect to either. All I've heard was from a tale from the old man who ran the farm before you; he talked about how the Harvest Goddess was a beauty in blue, green and a little white, with pink skin and blue-green hair that was in two buns." She looked meaningfully to the pool. "I do pray that the Harvest Goddess helps us but she hasn't done anything to my knowledge."

"What if she sends someone to help you?" Atemu asked curiously.

"I think the old man must have been like that," Karen said, leaning against a tree and looking up at the sky. "The old man was the one who worked for the Harvest Goddess, but now he's not around anymore, he passed on…"

"Hey listen; do you know where his grave is? I looked but couldn't find it anywhere in the graveyard and Carter was busy in the confessional with someone so I couldn't ask him either…" Atemu let his voice trail off.

"You want to see him?" Karen asked. "Sure, I'll take you to his grave, but then I have to get back to work. I don't want my dad to worry." Atemu nodded and Karen began to lead him back to town and towards the church. As she walked ahead of him she thought to herself, 'Did the Harvest Goddess send you?'

**_…_**

**__**

Karen showed Atemu the old man's grave and then left so she could get back to work. He knelt down and felt the cool stone beneath his fingers. He ran his tips over the lettering and sat down facing the stone.

"I'm here old friend," Atemu said, speaking softly. "I came when you didn't respond to my latest letter and found out you left the farm to me. I'm working it now. It's still early and there's a lot of work yet to do, but I hope I can run it as well as you did. I'll make it look beautiful just like you had it. I hope to get married here too and it seems like I have a few choices for that as well. I want to be a father. But I'll talk more on that some other time. It seems you helped this town a lot when you were alive. Did you really see the Harvest Goddess and did she really ask you to watch over the town and help it like she asked me?"

"I don't know if I'm doing the right thing but I'm doing what I think is right. I only wish you were still here. I bet there are things you could still teach me about farming, one summer wasn't enough. I promise though, I'll do my best to make you proud. I'll help here as much as I can. I want to help, not just because I was asked. I'll make you proud." Atemu stood up and brushed off the dirt on his pants. "The people here seem nice enough too. You know a girl named Karen? She's a piece of work, but she's cool. I like the people here and yet I hardly know them. I just wish you were here to still teach me a few things. I never did get to say goodbye. So here, for now I can say goodbye. I'm glad I knew you, I'm glad we were friends. I'll do my best old friend. I'll make you proud."

With that, he stood up and walked away from the grave, noticing the time and how he had to get back to work. He felt a little better though, he never really got a chance to say goodbye to the old man who had shown him a lot over the summer. He would do his best here, of that he promised to himself and to his old friend.

"Ah, I gotta deposit the grasses to sell before FIVE!" Atemu exclaimed and began to run.

**_…_**

**__**

Somewhere someone was smiling.

**_TBC_**

**__**

**A/N: Was that good for a second chapter? Read and review, just don't flame! I hope to see you all again next chapter (though I don't know when I'll get to update, hopefully soon…) Anyways, OWARI for now!**


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